Leadership problem in security apparatus

Wolesi Jirga decided to impeach the ministers of Interior Affairs and Defense and the chief of the National Directorate of Security in the wake of deteriorating security situation in the country. The three top officials were summoned by the lawmakers on Monday to seek clarification over growing security incidents in the country, particularly deadly attacks in capital Kabul; however, they all survived the no-confidence vote. There was some kind of clash between Wolesi Jirga and the government over the impeachment of top security officials, with some reports that President Ghani had warned the lawmakers to ignore the impeachment process, or else he would issue a decree dissolving the National Assembly.

The lawmakers gave a vote of confidence to all officials following some clarifications. There was nothing hopeful in their statements based on which the lawmakers should have stepped back from the disqualification of the security officials, except in their off-camera session. While it was widely expected that the security officials will be unseated, their survival from the no-trust vote increases suspicions about possible deals between the government and the lawmakers. Also in the past, members of Wolesi Jirga, against public expectations, have given a vote of confidence to ministers, which most lawmakers sought to disqualify. The longer the lawmakers work, the more they lose trust among people. Many Afghans will no longer trust the parliamentarians due to accusations of financial deals.

The very common justification of security officials for the ongoing violence in the country is that it is an intelligence war, which is not very easy to contain. It is right that the Afghan conflict has deep roots outside Afghan borders, with many intelligence networks involved in it, yet the weakness and flaws of the country’s security institutions cannot be condoned.

Corruption in the leadership of Afghan National and Defense Force (ANDSF) is one of the major reasons of the continuity of war. Even there have been some reports about shameful corruption cases in which weapons, ammunition and edibles of ANSDF have been sold to insurgent. The delayed supply of weaponry and foot items to Afghan forces serving in the frontline has become a common practice. There have been even some cases, where the resources of Afghan Air Force (AAF) have been used to transport senior officials instead of mobilizing them to rescue besieged soldiers. Some of the above problems can only be tackled when substantial, corrective reforms are brought about in the security apparatus. Improved leadership can significantly enhance the effectiveness of Afghan forces, and decline their casualties.

One factor of the Afghan conflict is the Afghan government's failure to maintain a balance in its foreign policy. The imbalanced foreign policies of governments have paved the ground for Afghanistan to turn into a battlefield of proxy wars.